Home
by Secoura
Summary: After all they sacrificed to get off of the island, why in the world would they want to go back?
1. Chapter 1

As the plane was taking off, Richard resisted the urge to look out the window for one last glimpse of the island. It had been his home for far too long and he knew that he would never see it again but still, he didn't look. Not because he didn't want to but because he was afraid of what he might see out that window. As the plane began climbing he finally moved over to the window seat and looked out, knowing that if he didn't reassure himself he would be forever haunted by it.

What he saw was Ben and Hurley desperately running for the plane, waving their arms and he assumed yelling though he couldn't hear them above the sound of the engines.

"We have to go back! We have to land and get them, we can't just leave them there!"

Richard sat up in his bed and realized that it had just been a bad dream. Again. His heart was still pounding as adrenaline flooded his system and he knew that going back to sleep wasn't an option. Rather than remain in bed wide awake he got up to make coffee, stumbling over a pair of shoes before getting out of his bedroom. "Damn it," he said under his breath before regaining his balance and continuing down the short hallway, making a mental note to be more careful about where he tossed things in his journey to go to bed at night. The world outside was still asleep as he flipped the light switch, bathing the kitchen in a fluorescent glow so he could fix a pot of coffee.

After Frank barely landed the Ajira plane in one piece in Sinapalu, Richard was able to make contact with the off-island network of people through Mittelos Bioscience and get all the papers necessary for them to return to as normal a life as possible in the real world. Since Claire and Kate really didn't want the media spotlight, he arranged for both of them to fly to Australia where they were met by Claire's mother and Aaron. The four of them were set to live in Australia in peace. James and Miles returned with Richard to Portland and went to work for Mittelos in security. It was a perfect fit for the two of them. Frank Lapidus, not in a hurry to fly any more big jets, accepted Richard's offer to be an on-call pilot for Mittelos. It gave him income and access to a plane, and he could fly James to Australia to be sure Kate and Claire were settled in and doing all right.

Life off the island hadn't been too bad at first; he was no stranger to the modern world, having left several times both for his own reasons and to carry out tasks for the island's leaders. Overall, everyone seemed to adjust to life off the island pretty well. Richard bought a small house in the Tualatin Valley and kept busy with fixing the place up and occasionally going to the corporate office of Mittelos to take care of transferring funds to keep everyone happy. It wasn't that Mittelos didn't do real research; on the contrary, they did a lot of research and their successes were sold to other companies which kept the money coming in. Fortunately there were other people whose job it was to ensure all of that went smoothly.

Finally the coffee was ready and he poured a cup, leaning against the sink to stare out the window. It had been three months since he had left that island and still he wasn't quite ready to let go. He had been part of a community for too long and now he felt terribly alone. Alone and guilty that they had left people behind on that island.

It was the guilt that kept him awake now. His role had been to help and guide the people that Jacob brought to the island, and Jack and Hurley were definitely brought there by Jacob. _I should have stayed to help them, not abandoned them. _According to what James and Kate had said, there was little doubt that Jack was dead but Hurley... He'd gone to visit Mr. and Mrs. Reyes but he couldn't find the words to say and ended up driving away without speaking to either of them.

The ringing of his cell phone startled him and he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just after 5AM so he was fairly certain of who was on the other end without checking the caller ID. There was only one person who still talked to him now. "Hello?"

"Hey, you feel like going to grab some breakfast?"

"And good morning to you, too, Miles."

"Fine, good morning, you want to get some grub or no?"

"Do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah, but I also know you've been up for a bit."

"What are you, a stalker now?" Richard peered out his kitchen window and barely made out the outline of a car parked in the street.

"I wanted to be sure you were up before I called you."

"Come in and have some coffee then. I haven't been up all that long so-"

"Fine, I'll come in and wait for you to make yourself handsome enough to go out in public."

"Miles..."

"I know, I know, it's much too early for you to be putting up with my mouth. I'll be right up."

Richard went to his front door and opened it just as Miles was running up in jeans and a sweat shirt. "Is there some reason why you couldn't wait until the sun was up?"

Miles moved past Richard and into the house before answering. "I got a phone call from Penelope Hume. You know, Widmore's daughter."

"Oh?" Richard felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as he shut the door. "What did she want?"

"Apparently Ben and Hurley helped Desmond get home."

He frowned slightly. "Home from the island?"

"Yeah. He's been home with his wife and son for a few weeks now."

"Why did she call you?"

"Damned if I know. She just said she knew her dad had hired me to go to the island and find Ben, and that she wanted me to know Desmond was alive and off the island." Miles watched as Richard retreated to the kitchen and poured another cup of coffee. "I thought maybe you would know why she called since she said Desmond needed to talk to you."

"Me?"

"Unless you know of another Richard Alpert who escaped from the island."

Richard offered the second cup to Miles and gestured for him to sit at the small breakfast bar before taking a seat himself on one of the stools. "I have no idea why she called you or why Desmond would want to talk to me."

"Yet you seem bothered by it."

"I guess it's just being reminded that Ben and Hurley were left behind."

"Sucks for them, but somebody had to stay behind I guess."

"Who else have you told about that phone call?"

"Nobody. Who else am I going to tell besides James?"

"Let's keep it just between us for now."

"So what are you going to do?"

"About what?"

"The phone call from Widmore's daughter."

"Nothing. It was just a phone call, Miles. There's nothing to be done about it." Richard downed his cup of coffee and walked over to the pot to refill it.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Miles..."

"I just figured you'd want to go back there."

"Go back there how?"

Miles turned to face Richard who was still in the kitchen. "I thought you would know. You said you'd been off the island."

"That was before it was moved. Even if I had access to a submarine or a boat, which I don't, I have no idea what the coordinates are to find it again."

"But Desmond Hume had to know the coordinates to get off the island, so could you use that to figure out the way back to the island?"

"Even if I could, why would I want to go back?"

"I don't know. You tell me." Richard turned to stare out the window and Miles knew he was right. "It's understandable that you'd want to go back, you know. That island was your home for way too long."

"I don't want to go back."

"Great, well here's the phone number where you can reach Desmond." Miles pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and put it on the bar next to Richard's cell phone. "I told her I'd give you the message and I have. Now, you want to get ready and go get breakfast?"

"Not really."

"Well guess what? You don't have a choice because I am not letting you just sit around here and mope like an old man."

Richard chuckled a bit at that. "Fine, but do not go snooping around my house."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"I mean it Miles."

"I know. Hurry up and get ready, I'm hungry."

"You could have got yourself something to eat and then told me about the phone call."

"No, I couldn't. It kind of freaked me out that she was able to track me down and I wanted to tell you about it."

"And do you feel better now?"

"No."

"Give me 20 minutes and we can go eat."

He left Miles alone – something he was certain he would regret – and headed to the back of the house. After a shower he dressed in slacks and a short-sleeved shirt and returned within the 20 minute frame as promised.

"Great," Miles said, sliding off the bar stool he was occupying. "Let's get some food. I'll drive."


	2. Chapter 2

"Speed limits exist for a reason Miles."

"You know, you really need to loosen up and live a little."

"First I have to survive this drive. Slow down before you get us both killed." He kept his gaze out the window but he knew Miles was rolling his eyes. The car, however, did slow down. "Thank you."

"Sorry, man. You're right."

They continued on in silence for a while before Miles tried to start conversation again.

"Hey, you know what you need?"

"To remember not to let you drive next time?"

Miles laughed. "No, that's not it. You need companionship."

That got Richard's attention away from the window. "Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying you've been alone for a long time."

"I was hardly alone on the island."

"You know what I mean."

"We are not having this discussion."

Miles just shook his head but let the subject drop. "You ever eat at a greasy spoon?"

"A what?"

"A greasy spoon. You'll love it, trust me."

"It doesn't sound like a place I'll love."

"You will. If you don't, I'll take you to the House of Pancakes."

"That's a comfort."

"Just...trust me. You'll like this place."

It wasn't much longer before Miles pulled into a parking lot and Richard found himself peering at the establishment in question. "This doesn't look bad."

"I told you you'd like it."

They went inside the half-empty diner and sat themselves in a corner booth. A waitress in her late 50's came over with two menus which she sat on the table. "Good morning. Mr. Alpert, nice to see you again. It's been a while. Can I get you both some coffee?"

"Yes, thank you," Richard said. As soon as she walked away the corner of his mouth turned upwards in a grin as Miles leaned forward.

"You've been here before? Why didn't you-"

"Here you are, sugar," the waitress said, setting down two cups of hot coffee. "You know what you want or do you need a minute to look over the menu?"

"I think we need a minute, Mari."

"Take your time."

Miles waited until Mari was out of earshot before continuing. "Why didn't you tell me you'd been here before?"

"How could I when I didn't know where we were going? And this is hardly a greasy spoon. Decide what you want to eat." Richard picked his menu up, still slightly grinning as he could feel Miles' glare through the laminated plastic.

After a few minutes Miles put his menu down and Richard did the same. "I cannot believe you've not only been here before, but the waitress knows your name."

"When I had to leave the island on business I would eat here. It's near Mittelos so it was convenient."

"Wait, is this place part of-"

"You two ready to order?" Mari asked as she came back over, looking to Miles.

"Yeah, I'll have the waffle combo with my eggs over medium and my bacon crispy."

"And you, love?"

"I'll have the blueberry pancakes and a side of eggs, scrambled."

"You got it."

Miles leaned back in the booth and glared at Richard. "This is part of Ben's off-island network, isn't it?"

With a slight sigh, Richard took a sip of his coffee before answering. "Yes, Miles, it is...or rather, it was part of the off-island network. Now I guess it just...is." And suddenly it was just one more reminder of the life that was and would never be again.

"Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. What's done is done."

Miles smiled slightly. "Whatever happened, happened."

"Exactly."

The door jingled as another customer came in and footsteps approached them.

"Well hell, how come I didn't get invited to breakfast?"

"Good morning, James," Richard said, smiling and turning his head in the direction of the man that was walking towards them.

"Morning boss. Morning Enos," he quipped as he reached the table. "Should I be worried?"

"No, no, of course not. Please, join us." Richard motioned towards the table and Sawyer accepted.

Miles scooted over so there was room for Sawyer to sit. "Haven't seen much of you since..." Sawyer left the comment to Richard hang, for some reason unwilling to finish it. "What's kept you busy besides breakfast with Miles here?"

"I've been fixing up the house I bought."

"You bought a house?"

"Yes, I...I thought I told everybody."

"You didn't tell me. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"You need a menu, hon?" Mari asked Sawyer as she came over with the food.

"No thank you, ma'am. I'd just like coffee and a cinnamon roll."

"You got it." She put the plates down in front of Miles and Richard and left to get Sawyer what he wanted.

"Have you heard from Kate since you got back?" Richard asked.

"As a matter of fact, I talked to her on the phone last night. She says that they're all doing good, and Aaron is adjusting to Claire."

"I'm glad."

Miles had already started eating and Mari came back with coffee and a cinnamon roll for Sawyer so they all lapsed into a comfortable silence for a while as they ate.

"Can I ask you something?" Sawyer asked when he was done with his roll.

"Of course."

"You got any way of knowing what happened on that island? Any way of monitoring or anything?"

"No, James, I don't. The Looking Glass and the Flame were both destroyed so there's no way for me or anyone to be in communications with the island."

"Yeah, I figured as much but I had to ask."

He looked over at Miles, then drew in a breath. "Jack succeeded in saving the island, and Hugo and Ben are fine. Miles got a phone call from Desmond's wife. He's home with his family."

"Wait a second, when did this happen?"

"I just got the phone call this morning. Richard hasn't called back to talk to Desmond," Miles hastily explained.

"She said that Hugo's fine?"

"Yeah, said him and Ben were the ones that helped him get home."

"Well what the hell you waiting for? Call Desmond."

"To what end?" Richard asked, flustered. "What is it you want him to tell me?" Sawyer opened his mouth as if it to speak, then shut it again, and Richard's expression softened. They all needed some closure and maybe Desmond could provide it. "I'll call him later and tell you what he has to say. Unfortunately I left the phone number at home."

"Thanks. I don't really know what I want Desmond to say but...thanks."

"No problem." Richard managed a smile, and Sawyer did the same.

"That damned island is never going to leave us in peace, is it?" Sawyer asked.

"Maybe we're the ones who can't leave the island be."

"I guess."

"I'll call Desmond and then I'll let you know what he has to say."

"You, umm...you want me and Miles to go with you?" Sawyer paused again as though trying to find the right words. "You have no idea what he's going to say and ...trust me, there's some news you don't want to get alone."

He was touched by the concern in Sawyer's voice. He didn't remember anyone caring about how he would take bad news – and he had gotten a lot of it in his long life – and he found that he really didn't want to be alone. "Sure," he heard himself saying as he nodded his head.

"Thanks. You must think I'm crazy for wanting anything to do with that damn island but..."

"Juliet?"

Sawyer had been staring at the napkin in his hands but at the one word from Richard's mouth made his head jerk back up to look awkwardly at the other man. "I figured maybe...maybe Hugo saw her and she has some message to pass on or...I know it's unlikely but..."

"We all need closure, James."

"She's there on that island and I hate that."

There was no more conversation after that. They got up and left after Mari said she would add their meals to Mittelos' ongoing tab. James got in his car and followed Miles back to Richard's house, and all three of them entered.

"You do realize," Richard said as he motioned for them to sit in the living room, "that whatever Desmond wants to tell me could change everything."

"I buried the woman I love on that island and there ain't a damned thing I can do to get her back. I will _never_ be able to let go of that island because every moment that I'm alive I'm reminded that Juliet isn't here because she died _there_. I get the feeling you aren't anywhere close to letting that island go either. I remember the look on your face when I gave you Ben after he'd been shot." Sawyer shook his head slightly. "Much as I hate to admit it, Ben saved our asses by having that walkie-talkie. Without it we wouldn't have known to get to the plane and get off the island. And he did save Hugo when he pushed him out of the way of that falling tree. Maybe Desmond knows some way we can get Hugo and Ben off the island."

Richard looked to Miles, who nodded his head. "Okay, I'll make the phone call." He was relieved when neither of the men followed him out to the kitchen where he picked up the slip of paper and dialed the number on his cell phone. After just a few rings, a female voice answered.

"Hello?"

Taking a deep breath, he replied. "Penelope Hume?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"My name is Richard Alpert."

"Let me get Desmond."


	3. Chapter 3

Richard could hear as the clock on the wall ticked each second, and with each second a feeling of dread filled him. Was this really a good idea? Shouldn't they just put it all behind them and move forward? What if it-

"Hello, Richard Alpert?"

He was somewhat startled at the voice on the other end. "Yes, this is Richard Alpert."

"Good. I'm sure you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you..."

"It did cross my mind, yes."

"I thought it would help everyone that escaped to know what happened."

"It...probably will."

"I assume someone filled you in on the events up until the monster was killed?"

"I know that Kate shot him and then Jack, Ben and Hurley went back to turn on whatever you had turned off."

"I'll begin there, then. You need to know that Jack and the monster lowered me into a cave where there was a very bright light, and I pulled a plug which put the light out. When Jack returned he came down into the cave and...he tied the rope around me, said I'd done enough and to go home to wife and son. I lost consciousness but when I woke up Hurley said that Jack turned the light back on. We assumed that Jack died in the cave but later we found his body in the bamboo forest not far from the camp that the Oceanic survivors made. It was Vincent who led us to him, actually. Dog kept barking and running in circles until we followed him to where Jack was. He was buried in the little graveyard the survivors made near the beach. Hurley thought that was where Jack would want to be."

"Well I'm glad that things worked out." Richard found himself leaning heavily on the bar stool as he thought about how differently things would have gone if he and Ilana had succeeded with the initial plan to blow up the plane.

"Do you want to know how I got off the island?"

It took a few seconds for Richard to respond, and even then he simply said, "I don't know."

"Afraid you might be tempted to go back?"

"Something like that."

"Then I suppose I should tell you that I have no bloody idea how to get back. I'm not even sure how I left."

"How can you not be sure?"

"One minute I'm talking to Hurley and Ben inside the old foot statue, and then Hurley opens a door and tells me to walk through so I do. As I crossed the threshold there was a bright flash of light and then I was in the basement of a monastery."

"You just...walked through a door?"

"Aye, that's what I did, and here's where it gets interesting. It was the same monastery in Eddington, Scotland, where I lived for three years as a monk and when I was there the leader, Brother Campbell, had a photograph of himself with Eloise Hawking."

"Eloise?"

"The one and only. So if you want to know about coming and going from the island, I'd suggest you pay a visit to Ms. Hawking."

"Brother Campbell, is he still there at the monastery?"

"He is, but he refused to answer any questions for me. You could try but I doubt he'd tell you much more than he told me which was nothing."

"So if I need to talk to Eloise, do you know where she is?"

"The last time I saw her was right before the Ajira flight was going to leave. She was manning a Dharma station called the Lamp Post beneath a church in Los Angeles. I can send the information to your cell phone if you want it."

"Yes, go ahead and send it."

"I can't guarantee that she's still there, or even that the Lamp Post is still operating. For all I know, after she helped get everyone on the Ajira flight she abandoned the place."

"Can I ask you something, Desmond?"

He heard Desmond chuckle a bit before answering. "Of course you can, though I can't promise that I know the answer."

"How did Charles get you back on the island?"

"Ben shot me and while I was in the hospital Eloise told Charles and Charles kidnapped me. One minute I'm in the hospital with a nurse saying she's giving me pain medication, and when I open my eyes again I'm staring at Charles Widmore and that mousy little Tina Fey wannabe."

"Ben shot you? Why did Ben shoot you?"

"It really doesn't matter now. What matters is that I am back home with my wife and son, and if Ben hadn't shot me then things might have turned out very differently for everyone. The monster is dead because I was there to pull the plug and put the light out, and I was there because Ben shot me and Charles kidnapped me from the hospital."

It was all getting a bit confusing...well, more confusing. Desmond walked through a door and came out in a monastery where a monk had a picture with Eloise...Eloise manned a Dharma station...Ben shot Desmond...

"How was Penelope able to track Miles down?"

"Charles Widmore kept excellent records about the people that he hired to go to the island. As his heir, Penny gained access to his records and it wasn't at all difficult to track Miles down. Let's just say he isn't exactly laying low." There was a pause. "You do know about the diamonds, don't you?"

"Diamonds?"

"Forget I said anything. I'll send you a map to the church, and you can do with that information what you like. As for me, I'm done with the bloody island."

"If you or Penelope need anything..."

"I know who to call. Take care of yourself, Richard, and good luck in finding whatever it is you're seeking."

"Thanks. You and Penelope do the same."

Desmond ended the call, and a few seconds later Richard's phone beeped to indicate that a file had been sent. He wandered back into the living room where Miles and Sawyer were waiting.

"Well? What did he have to say?" Sawyer asked.

"Desmond thought it might help to know what happened after Jack left with Hurley and Ben. After Kate shot the monster."

"Well the world still exists so I'm guessing Jack succeeded."

Running a hand through his hair, Richard sighed. "Do you want to know or not?"

"Sorry." Sawyer put his head down for a moment, then looked back up. "Yeah, I want to know."

Sawyer and Miles sat and listened while Richard repeated what Desmond had said happened, ending with burying Jack in the graveyard.

"And how did Desmond get off the island?"

"Well, Miles, apparently he walked through a door that led to a monastery in Scotland."

Miles and Sawyer both looked at him like he had just spoken in Swahili; it was Sawyer who found his voice first.

"Did you ask Desmond what the hell he smoked before you talked to him?"

"I'm pretty sure Desmond was sober."

"Sure he was. All that time we spent stuck on that island and there was a magical door we could have gone through?"

"I don't know. I think given the choice of going to a Scottish monastery, I would have picked staying on the island. Those Dharma chicks in the 70's were a lot more fun that I think those monks would be."

Sawyer rolled his eyes and Richard smiled at Miles' remark.

"I imagine the life of Dharma was probably much more colorful than life in a monastery."

"And you didn't know about this door?"

"No, James, I didn't. Desmond said it was in the foot of the statue; Jacob never told me about it or showed it to me."

"Guess that's not surprising considering he didn't tell Jack much of anything."

"I came to realize he didn't tell me much of anything either." Richard leaned again a wall and rubbed his face with his hand, unsure of whether he should mention Eloise and the church in Los Angeles or not.

"I guess there's only one thing to do, then. I ain't leaving Hugo on that island if we can get him the hell off of it."

"What do you propose?" Richard asked warily.

"We go to that monastery and we find the door that Desmond came out."

"You're going to break into a monastery?" Miles asked.

"You got a better idea?"

"I doubt you'll find a way back to the island there, James. It was probably one way, like when John and Ben turned the wheel and left the island."

"Well we have to at least try." Sawyer stood up and moved so his was right in front of Richard. "When Jack volunteered to take Jacob's place, Hugo said that he was glad it wasn't him that had to stay and protect the island so I ain't just leaving him there. He deserves better than that."

"Yes, he does." _He gave me one last conversation with Isabella; I owe him so much for that._ "I just don't think the monastery is the answer." He took a deep breath, figuring he'd better just say it and get it over with before he changed his mind. "There's a Dharma station in Los Angeles. I think that is our best chance for finding a way back to the island."

"There's a Dharma station in L.A.?"

"That's what Desmond said; that Eloise Hawking is manning a Dharma station in Los Angeles."

"And why would this help us get back to the island?"

"Because he also said that the leader of the monastery had a picture of himself and Eloise Hawking." He closed his eyes briefly before continuing. "This Dharma station is under a church, and Desmond sent me a map to find it."

"Well then what the hell we waiting for? Let's get going."


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't believe you're even considering this."

"Come on, Kate, this is Hurley we're talking about. I can't believe you don't want to find some way to get him home."

"Sawyer, think about it. If Desmond could get off the island by walking through a door, then wouldn't Hurley have walked through the same door if he wanted to leave so badly?"

Miles pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. Richard was sitting on the bed next to Miles looking very uncomfortable as the other two people in the room had what could only be described as a lover's spat, except that Kate and Sawyer weren't lovers. Miles didn't think they were at the moment, anyway.

"If that's how you feel, then why in the hell are you even here?"

"To keep you from doing something stupid."

"I don't need you to babysit me, Kate."

Kate happened to glance over at Miles and Richard, and she seemed to feel for them. "We can have this argument later. Until Frank gets back, we should all get some rest."

"So who's bunking with who, sweetheart?"

She rolled her eyes at Sawyer's question. "Does it matter?"

"You are the lone female, so you should chose who you share your room with."

"Fine. I'll share a room with Richard."

Sawyer seemed stunned for a few seconds. "Richard?"

"You said I should chose, I've chosen."

Richard just sat there in stunned silence, not sure how to respond or even if he should say anything. "What about Frank?" he managed to ask. "He'll be back soon."

Richard asked Frank to earn some of the money that Mitellos paid him and fly Richard, Sawyer and Miles to Los Angeles. When they got there, Kate was waiting to meet them, having flown in from Sidney apparently to stop Sawyer from going back to the island. Frank, not really wanting all the drama, had said he was taking the car Richard rented at the airport and getting them some food while they checked into a Best Western. Unfortunately there were only two rooms available and they were not yet sure how they would work out having five people and only four beds between them.

"I think Sawyer's more his type," Kate quipped. "Come on, my stuff's already in the room next door so let's grab your luggage and head over there." She gave Richard a friendly smile. "You look tired, so I think you could use some rest and I know I need a few hours sleep."

"Go on," Sawyer said when he saw Richard glance at him. "We could all use some rest, and me and Enos here got some catching up to do."

"We do?" Miles asked.

"Yeah, we do." His face softened a bit when he turned to Kate. "You go get your beauty rest, Freckles."

Richard got up and grabbed the one suitcase he had packed. "You two should get some rest, too."

"Somehow I don't think any of us are going to get much sleep but..." Sawyer left the statement dangling and turned away so Richard followed Kate to the room next door.

"So you want to tell me why you didn't want to share a room with James?" Richard asked after they were in the room.

Kate smiled and shook her head slightly. "Too much history."

"You're afraid you'll end up in bed with him."

"What?" Kate's smile turned into a grim line as she glared at him.

"I saw the tape. The two of you in the polar bear cages."

Her cheeks flushed and she turned so her back was to him. "That was over three years ago. It was another lifetime."

"Forget it. I was out of line, and it's none of my business."

"How many other people saw it? Besides Ben, Jack and you."

"No one else that I know of. I wouldn't even have seen it but I wanted to review some tapes of...someone else, and the only machine that worked was the one on Hydra Island. Unfortunately Ben never bothered to remove the tapes after he showed them to Jack and I was curious as to what had been recorded. It's not like Ben loaned the tapes out as entertainment."

"No, I suppose he wouldn't."

"I didn't mean to embarrass you. I'm sorry I mentioned it."

"No you're not." She turned back to face him. "You meant to say it. What I can't figure out is why. Do you think Sawyer and I should get together or something?"

"I was just curious as to why you'd chose sharing a room with a stranger to sharing a room with him."

"Because I do know him, and I don't want to deal with him right now."

"I'm not trying to give you a hard time, Kate. We're both tired and I think a hot shower and some sleep will do us both a world of good."

"You're probably right. Why don't you shower first? I want to call Claire and let her know that I'm all right."

Richard nodded, grabbed some things out of his suitcase and disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

"You handled that well," Miles said as he started going through the things in his suitcase, searching for his toothbrush.

"Handled what well?"

"You know, Kate and Richard."

"What Kate and Richard?"

Miles abandoned his search and went over to where Sawyer was standing near the window. "Richard finally made peace with his wife's death and he's been alone for a long time, Kate has to be lonely after losing Jack to the island, and you just happily let them go share a room together. Do the math."

Sawyer glared but turned away, sitting on one of the beds. "Ain't my problem."

"Well as long as you're ok with it."

"The woman I loved is dead and gone, so I don't care who Kate screws."

Miles raised an eyebrow but decided not to say anything further on the subject. "I'm going to take a shower. Kate was right about getting some rest, but what are we going to do when Frank gets back?"

"He can have one bed and you and I can share the other bed."

"What?" Miles couldn't believe he had just heard that.

"Unless you'd rather sleep with Frank."

"I'd rather sleep by myself."

"I promise to keep my hands to myself, all right? It's a king size bed, there's enough room."

"Yeah, the thing is...I need my space so I think I'll sit outside for awhile and smoke a few packs of cigarettes while you get some sleep."

"Can we act like adults here? We are just going to sleep, that's all. No parts of our bodies will touch. Now go shower so you can get some sleep and I can take a shower."

* * *

"Hey Claire, it's Kate. I'm fine."

"How is everybody?"

"They're all good."

"Where are you?"

"At a motel in some town outside of Los Angeles."

"By yourself, or is Sawyer with you?"

Kate could hear the hint of a tease in Claire's voice and smiled. "Actually, I'm sharing a room with Richard Alpert."

"Richard? Wow, I did not see that coming."

"We're sharing a room out of necessity. I'm not ready to be sharing a motel room with Sawyer. Not yet, and maybe not ever. Besides, Richard's nice."

"Yeah, and I got the impression he'd be pretty harmless. You mind saying a few words to Aaron? He's here pulling on my sleeve."

"I would love to talk to Aaron!"

After a few moments, a little voice on the other end said "Hi Mommy!"

"Hey goober," Kate replied, feeling the tears gather in her eyes. "How are you?"

"Mommy made me french toast."

"I'll bet you liked that."

"I did. I miss you though. You're coming home, right?"

"Yes, I promise that I will be home in just a few days."

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, goober."

The sounds indicated that the phone was being passed back, and then Claire was on the line again. "He misses you, but he's ok."

"I miss him too."

"Why did you go, Kate?"

"I told you..."

"And it didn't sound like they needed your help. Please promise me that you are not planning on going back there."

"I'm not, I swear. I just want to be sure that Sawyer doesn't go back there."

"He just wants to help Hurley. That's not a bad thing."

"I just don't want him to go there and decide that he'd rather stay."

"Because he lost Juliet there."

"Yeah."

"Listen, Sawyer is a big boy and maybe you need to let him make his own decisions."

Kate found herself smiling again. "Yes, Mom."

"I better get Aaron cleaned up. You call me if you need anything, ok?"

"I will."

"Ok. Bye."

"Bye."

After the call ended, Kate sat down in one of the chairs and tried to sort out just why she was there. Claire was right, Sawyer could make his own decisions but for some reason she didn't want him going back to that island. She didn't want anyone going back to that island because Jack died to give them a chance to _leave_ so going back felt like an insult to his memory. That thought upset her so much that she jumped a bit when she heard Richard come out of the bathroom, having forgotten for a moment that he was in the room.

"Is everything all right with Aaron and Claire?"

"Yeah, they're fine." She absently wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before turning to give him a smile as he walked closer in his flannel green shorts. "I just miss him so much."

"You did a good thing, bringing Claire home to her son."

"I know that."

"Then don't feel guilty because you miss having him all to yourself."

"I don't feel guilty about it, I just miss those days. I can't help but wonder how different things could have been. I mean, what if I'd just refused to get on that plane?"

"Then maybe instead of you killing the monster and Jack being able to stop the island from sinking, the monster would have escaped into the world and Aaron wouldn't be safe and sound with Claire right now."

"Maybe."

"You said yourself that you needed some rest; I think things will look different after a few hours of sleep."


	5. Chapter 5

Miles emerged from the bathroom in his blue pajamas and slippers to find Sawyer sitting at the small table by the window, blowing a small cloud of smoke. "Are you smoking my cigarettes? And isn't this a non-smoking room?"

"Calm down Enos. I won't tell if you don't," Sawyer said, smirking as he took in the irritated figure approaching him. "I'll buy you a pack to make up for it. Cute jammies, by the way. You leave the footed ones at home?"

"You are such an ass sometimes." Miles stomped over to the bed farthest from the door and proceeded to pull down the covers and get in. "Wait, Frank isn't back yet?"

"No." Dropping the cigarette butt into a plastic water glass, Sawyer pulled back the curtain and peered out the window.

"Expecting someone?"

"Yeah, Frank."

"Maybe he got caught in traffic. This is L.A., it's been known to happen." Miles was sitting in bed, covers pulled up. "I'm sure he's fine."

"You get some sleep. Bags under your eyes ain't a good look for you. I'm gonna stay up until Frank returns."

Miles nodded. "I'm sure he's fine." He slid the rest of the way down in bed, beginning to drift off as soon as he felt the too-firm motel pillow beneath his head.

* * *

"Which bed do you want?" Richard asked as Kate was going to take her shower.

"Doesn't matter. Take whichever one you want."

He chose the one closest to the door, feeling that _if_ something were to happen he wanted to be between Kate and any uninvited guests that may decide to visit. There was really no reason to believe that anything was going to happen, though. If he stepped outside the door he could see Interstate 5 just beyond the parking lot with only a chain link fence separating them from all the cars zooming past; hardly an isolated location. Even the sound of children giggling and laughing, excited about nearby Magic Mountain as they ran to and from their own rooms, served as a reminder that this was not a seedy motel and there was really nothing to worry about. Finally he laid down on the bed and pulled the covers up over him.

When Kate was done with her shower and came out, she found Richard sleeping. The sound of his soft snoring was comforting; as she got into the other bed it reminded her that she wasn't alone and helped her fall asleep.

* * *

Sawyer sat in the chair and watched as the digital clock on the nightstand showed minute by minute passing. He was tired but he wasn't about to even think about sleep until Frank got his ass back to the motel. It was almost 8 o'clock so traffic shouldn't have been bad enough for this. Unfortunately Sawyer hadn't bothered to ask if Frank had a cell phone and what the number was, and since the only car they had was missing along with Frank, he didn't know what he could do about finding the man.

It had been just three days since Richard had told him about Hugo being alive on the island along with Rose, Bernard and Ben. Three days to absorb that Jack had succeeded and the island was safe. Three days to think about how, after all they had been through and all the people that had died, all Desmond had to do to leave the island was walk through a damned door. Now he just wanted to go to the church and find out how to get back there but Kate's words still echoed in his head.

_If Desmond could get off the island by walking through a door, then wouldn't Hurley have walked through the same door if he wanted to leave so badly?_

Absently he lit another of Miles' cigarettes while watching his friend sleep. At least one of them was getting some rest. He had barely taken a drag from it when the door flung open and Frank stumbled through, causing Sawyer to stand and aim his handgun at the man.

"Good to see you too, James. Put the gun down," Frank said, turning to lock the door.

"Where the hell have you been? You've been gone for hours. And keep your voice down."

"I'm already awake," Miles mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Hello, gentlemen." The voice belonged to a rather distinguished-looking older woman who came in through the door that Frank hadn't shut behind him. "Where is Richard?"

"Who the hell are you?" Sawyer asked, keeping a grip on the gun.

"My name is Eloise Hawking. You, I presume, would be James Ford?"

The name sounded familiar to Sawyer though he couldn't place it; Miles, on the other hand, recognized it right away.

"You're Daniel's mother."

"Hello Miles."

"You two know each other?"

"Not exactly," he told Sawyer. "I know of her because Daniel talked about her so much."

"And I know of Mr. Straume because Charles Widmore hired him to go back to the island with Daniel."

"So what is it you want?"

Eloise finally turned and made sure the door was shut and locked before answering. "I know that you all came here with Richard to see me so I thought I'd spare you the trouble of finding me."

"How long you been spying on us?"

"Since I became aware that Richard was using Mittelos to fund your new lives. So where is he?"

Sawyer continued to eye her so Miles answered. "He and Kate are in the room next door."

"We need to get moving before the others get here so could one of you go get them, or shall I?"

"Get moving? We ain't going nowhere until you explain what this is all about."

"If I take the time to explain it will be too late and I really don't understand why you're acting like I'm the enemy. You did travel here to see me, did you not?"

"She's got a point."

Sawyer rolled his eyes at Frank's comment. "Fine, I'll go get 'em." Eloise moved further into the room and Sawyer passed her to leave.

"I think I'll get dressed," Miles said, grabbing his jeans from where he had tossed them at the end of the bed and heading into the bathroom.

Eloise walked over to the overstuffed chairs and sat in one to wait and Frank sat on the bed.

"So, you been spying on everyone or just on Richard?"

"I've been keeping tabs on all of you for your own safety. If Desmond hadn't contacted Richard you'd all still be living your lives blissfully unaware of the dangers surrounding all of you."

"Danger from who?"

* * *

Sawyer debated whether he should use the key card or knock on the door; key card won and he slowly opened the door. The room was dark except for the light that came in through a gap between the curtains which hadn't been properly shut. He could barely make out that there was a body in the bed by the window and he assumed there was one in the bed closest to the door as well.

"Hey, wake up," he finally said, flipping on the switch for the light in the entry outside the bathroom. "Rise and shine, 'cause we got a visitor next door."

The lamp on the table between the two beds came on and Richard put the gun he had been holding on top of the nightstand. "You know, James, you could knock."

"And wait for you to decide whether or not you're going to answer the door? Listen, you two get in gear because I don't think Eloise Hawking is going anywhere until she says what she has to say."

Kate was sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking her head at the absurdity of all of this while the color drained from Richard's face at the mention of that name.

"Eloise Hawking? She's here?"

"Yeah, said she knew you were looking for her so she thought she'd save you the trouble. She also says we're in danger so get your ass moving."

"Who the hell put you in charge?" Kate walked up to him, grabbing her bathrobe off a chair as she did so. "Tell them we'll be over in a minute."

"Listen sweetheart-"

"Sawyer, go. If the world is going to end in the time it takes us to get dressed, then so be it."

Sawyer took a moment to study her face, clearly puzzled by her attitude but finally he relented. "Fine, I'll tell her highness she has to wait a bit."

He turned and left, Kate locking the door behind him. Then she sat beside Richard who had moved to the end of his bed.

"Hey, you ok?" she asked. "You don't seem happy about Eloise being here."

He managed to give her a weak smile. "It's been a long time since I've seen her. It's..."

"Complicated?"

Kate flashed him a smile and he couldn't help smiling back before looking away. "Not in the same way."

"You remember that conversation, huh?"

"About Charles and Eloise? Yes, I remember it."

"What happened? After I left, I mean. Jack told me that after Sayid removed the bomb's detonator and found the way into one of the Dharma houses, you knocked Eloise out and refused to go any further with them."

"That would be where it gets really complicated." He stood up and grabbed his suitcase, putting it on the bed to open it. "We better get dressed and get over there; Eloise Hawking is a lot of things, but patient is generally not one of them."


	6. Chapter 6

Miles was still in the bathroom putting his clothes on when James returned so he stood by the door to listen.

"They said they'd be over once they're decent."

"You told Richard I was here?"

"Yeah, told 'em both and they'll get over here when they get here."

He waited for Eloise to say something more but apparently she wasn't going to so he finished buttoning his shirt and tried to get his hair to stop sticking out before creeping out. "Hey," he said as Eloise turned her head and eyed him from head to toe.

"You all right?" Sawyer asked, keeping his voice down as he came closer to Miles. "You look a little green around the edges."

A sarcastic comment started to form on Miles' tongue but quickly died. Sawyer was being sincere and the last thing he wanted to do right then was add to the tension already in the room. "I'm just tired."

A knock at the door thankfully ended that conversation. Sawyer cautiously opened the door the inch or so, then opened it the rest of the way to allow Kate and Richard to come in. Immediately Eloise stood up and faced them, her eyes on Richard.

"Hello Richard."

He suddenly felt uncomfortable under her stare and had to look down at the floor; the flat tone of her voice did nothing to make him feel better. "Hello Eloise. It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has. It's good to see you."

He finally looked back up and saw that she was smiling; he couldn't help but give her a relieved smile in return. "Good to see you too."

"Great, now that we're all here can you please tell us what's going on?" Sawyer asked. "What's this danger you were talking about?"

"That danger, Mr. Ford, is Woo-Jung Paik."

Kate stepped forward. "Paik. Sun's family?"

"Sun's father, to be exact." Eloise glanced at her watch and then looked at Richard. "We have to go. None of you are safe here."

"And where is it that you want to go, Eloise?"

She smiled at Richard's question. "Sanctuary, of course."

* * *

The van that had brought her was waiting for them and she advised that they grab their luggage as they wouldn't be returning to the motel. She also made it clear that she wouldn't answer any questions until they got to the church. Sawyer grumbled about it but he went along with the rest of them into the van for the silent ride.

"So this is the church, huh?" Miles remarked as they followed Eloise inside.

"Yes, Miles, this is the church. Now, perhaps one of you could tell me what you were hoping to find here?"

"A way back." All eyes turned to Richard as he spoke, walking from the back of the group to the front. "Desmond said that he was able to walk through a door and he came out in a monastery in Scotland."

"And I'm sure Desmond told you quite a bit more than that."

"Is there a way back, Eloise?"

Eloise looked around at the group and shook her head slightly. "After all that you went through, why in the world would you want to go _back_?"

"That's what I've been asking," Kate said, sitting in one of the pews.

"We left people behind on that island, that's why we want to go back."

"And what makes you so sure, Mr. Ford, that the people on that island want to leave?"

"I ain't got no reason to believe they don't."

"You also have no reason to believe that they do."

"Look, is there a way to get back to the island or not? Kate said you helped her, Jack and Hugo and Ben get back there-"

"That was under entirely different circumstances."

"Different how?" Richard asked. "The whole point of this station is to find the island, right?"

"Yes, Richard, it was until Ben moved the island."

"But you helped them get back after Ben had moved it."

"I merely passed on information. Jacob visited me and told me how to get them all back."

Richard felt like the wind had been knocked out of him and he sat in one of the pews. "So there's no way for us to find the island and get back."

"So we came all the way here for nothing." Sawyer shook his head and ran a hand down his face. "Son of a bitch."

"And what do we do about Sun's father?" Frank asked. "I doubt he's going to give up."

"Mr. Paik can wait; you're safe here. Come with me, I want to show you all something."

They followed Eloise to the actual station where the pendulum was swinging. "So this how Dharma found the island." It wasn't a question but a statement as Richard walked closer but made sure to stay clear of the pendulum's path.

"Yes. They used it to chart out where the island would appear when they needed to get to it."

"But now it doesn't work?"

She smiled at him and her look softened. "Richard, I know you want to go back but it's not right. There is no going back...there is only moving on."

"So we did come here for nothing."

"No, not for nothing. There's someone I'd like you all to meet." She retreated through a partially hidden doorway for just a few seconds, then returned and stepped clear to allow her guest to come out and be seen.

"Hey guys, I knew you were going to come here and I wanted to-"

Sawyer was the first to find his voice and interrupt. "Well son of a..." He closed the distance between them and hugged his friend. "Hugo, it's good to see you." Releasing Hurley, he took a step back to get a better look. "How'd you get here?"

"It's...a secret."

"A secret? Hugo, we already know that Desmond walked through a door-"

"That was different, dude," Hurley said, cutting Richard off. "Because you don't really want to know how I got off the island, you want to know how to get back to the island."

"Yes, Hugo, I want to know how to get back to the island. Why is it such a big deal? I was in service to that island and Jacob for over 100 years and I just..."

Hurley came over and patted Richard on the shoulder. "Look, there's a lot of things we all need to talk about. Oh, and Ben said to tell you hi."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he's fine. He's helping me with this whole 'protect the island' gig."

"As Hurley said, there's a lot that we need to discuss so let's head back upstairs so we can all sit down." Eloise motioned for them to follow her and Hurley smiled at his friends.

"She's right, you all need to go with her so we can talk about stuff. And it really means a lot to me that you guys wanted to come back to the island to save me, but I don't need saving. I'm cool with it now."

"You mean you like being on the island?"

"Yeah, I kinda do. I mean, sure, the first couple of times Ben tried to kill me I got annoyed but now...I'm used to it. It's just Ben's way of showing that he cares." When everyone just stared at him, mouths agape, he laughed. "It's a joke, dude. Ben's ok. He and I get along really well actually."

"If I might interrupt," Eloise said.

"Right, we better go with her." Hurley took off in the direction Eloise was motioning, certain that the others would follow him.


	7. Chapter 7

All eyes remained fixed on Hurley as they all sat around in what could only be described as a sort of waiting room. There was no table, just several stuffed chairs scattered around the room. Eloise Hawking stood to the front while Richard remained standing in the back, leaning against the wall and looking, in Miles' opinion anyway, like a kid that just found out there is no Santa Claus.

All of them except Richard took seats while Eloise stood before them and began explaining. "Mr. Paik has been searching for his daughter ever since she left Ji Yeon with her mother and then disappeared on the Ajira flight. It seems that Sun had a controlling interest in Paik Industries and left her interest in the company in a trust fund for the benefit of Ji Yeon. It also has very specific terms that prevent Mr. Paik from getting his hands on that interest."

"So what does he want with us?" Sawyer asked.

"He needs Sun Kwon declared legally dead, and to do that immediately he needs her body. All of you were declared dead and now he's discovered that you are, in fact, alive and living under assumed identities. Naturally, since Kate and Frank supposedly disappeared in the same Ajira flight as Sun, Mr. Paik believes that his daughter may be alive and in hiding. He is a ruthless man and you don't know what he's capable of doing to get the information that he wants, which at the moment is the location of his daughter."

"Sun and Jin died when the submarine blew up. There's no way to recover the body even if we did know the way back."

Eloise shook her head slightly at Kate's words. "Do you expect Mr. Paik to just believe that?"

"So what do we do? Hide for the rest of our lives?" Everyone turned to face Richard as he spoke so he continued. "Or does the answer lie in why Hugo Reyes is here?"

"Dude, I just came here to tell you all that I'm fine and I don't need saving." Hurley sounded annoyed and he glared at them all as he spoke.

"But it sounds like we do, so will you help us?"

He turned to Kate and smiled. "Yeah, I'll help you. You see, I need your help as much as you need mine because Mr. Paik isn't just after you guys, he's after the island."

"And why is Mr. Paik after the island?" Richard asked.

"Because the heart of the island is the source of life, death and rebirth," Eloise answered. "It's also a powerful source of energy, which is the main reason Mr. Paik wants the island. Electricity is a highly sought resource, after all."

"He wants to use the island like a power plant?"

"Yes, Kate, he does. He wants to harness the energy that is at the heart of the island."

"What's so bad about that? Hell, the world needs renewable energy right?"

"There are things that you don't understand, James. Things that very few people understand about the island." Eloise sighed and sat in an empty chair. "But I shall try to explain. Richard, you may want to take a seat because this could take a while." She waited as Richard moved forward, taking a seat next to Miles before continuing. "At the heart of the island is a light, and that light is part of every living thing on this planet."

Sawyer clucked his tongue and shook his head. "And here I thought maybe we were going to get _science_."

"Oh but there is science, Mr. Ford. At least, there is scientific data to back up what I'm telling you – or did you think the US Army landed there because of dumb luck?"

"So there is an explanation for the island and what happened?"

"There is an explanation for how the island was located and even for some of the things you experienced, Kate, but there are a good many things for which I'm afraid I don't have an explanation."

"So why don't you tell us what you do have an explanation for, Eloise."

She gave an irritated sigh. "Or perhaps I should start with telling everyone what occurred after they tried to detonate the bomb at the Swan site."

Richard leaned back in his seat and stared at the wall behind Eloise, refusing to make eye contact. "Sorry," he mumbled after a few seconds.

"Forgive me if I give you the Quantum Physics for Dummies version, but it's far shorter. All around us is electromagnetic waves. Radio waves, microwaves, infrared...they're all different frequencies along the electromagnetic spectrum. Each of us is giving off electromagnetic waves on the infrared spectrum, and the light that we see by is the visible spectrum of electromagnetism. The pockets of what the Dharma Initiative called 'exotic matter' are sources of particular frequencies of electromagnetic waves.

"Now these electromagnetic waves can transport energy across space, which is why Paik Industries is after the island. What you need to know is that if he does that, it will change the frequency of the island itself. That's what happened when Ben turned the wheel; it changed the frequency of the island. When those in the helicopter saw the island vanish, what actually happened was that the island moved outside the visible spectrum of electromagnetic waves."

She paused and Sawyer shook his head. "And what the hell does all of that mean?"

"Would you like to know what happened when you were experiencing the flashes, Mr. Ford? When you were moving through time?"

"Doubt I'm going to understand a word of it, but go ahead."

"The light – the heart of the island – is within every living creature. It's why even now, each of us is emitting electromagnetic waves. With enough time or the right exposure to the island, one becomes in sync with the changes to the island's frequencies." She smiled at Richard. "That is why John Locke disappeared but you and the others were unaffected. Only those that were...well, foreigners to the island were sent to different time periods in an attempt to modulate the electromagnetic wave frequency. Benjamin Linus was never meant to turn the wheel and be excised like that. He was more a part of the island than anyone because he had been healed by the island, so it was his removal via the wheel that threw the island, or at least the heart of it, into turmoil. John Locke's removal through the same mechanism countered that until the Ajira flight returned with Locke's body. That's why Kate, Jack, Sayid and Hurley were sent back to 1977, and it's why you all returned to 2007 after the incident at the Swan site."

"Because of a bad frequency?"

"Have you ever had a radio that wasn't quite tuned to the right frequency, so it was between stations? Well that's what happened between you and the island. It's why you experienced the nosebleeds and the headaches and, sadly, it's the reason Charlotte died."

"And what does this have to do with Paik wanting the island?"

"There are other pockets of 'exotic matter' scattered across the planet, all of them connected to the island. Most of these pockets are located in areas that have a lot of seismic activity – such as Los Angeles. When Ben turned the wheel, there was a wave of small but escalating earthquakes. If Paik Industries were to tap into the energy of the island, there would be earthquakes world wide and of a catastrophic scale, just for a start."

"Is that what would have happened if the island had sunk and the monster escaped?"

"Yes, Kate." She paused for a moment. "Thankfully you were able to shoot Locke and Jack was able to turn the light back on before anything serious happened to the rest of the world."

"I still don't understand why we're here," Richard said, standing up. "We came here thinking maybe Hugo and Ben needed our help, which they clearly don't, so-"

"I do need your help, dude. All of you." When all eyes turned to him, Hurley continued. "Like I said before, Ben and I get along good and all but I...I'm not used to being alone with just one other person and Ben's not handling it so well either. Besides, neither one of us really knows what we should do to protect the island. I mean, Richard has the most experience and-"

"I don't know anything, Hugo. Jacob kept me in the dark."

"But you kept your people together, and you made sure they were, like, ok and stuff after Ben and Locke were gone and there was no leader. You know how to make sure people survive on the island."

"So what, you want me to write you out an instruction manual?"

Hurley looked down and his lip trembled. "I was hoping you'd be willing to come back...just for a little while..."

"Then why didn't you-"

"You needed to hear what Eloise had to tell you first so you would understand what is at stake. I understand if you don't want to but...I really hope you'll help me."

"Of course I will." Richard managed a gentle smile. "I will come back to the island and help you and Ben."

"Thanks dude."

"What about the rest of us?" Kate asked.

"Mr. Paik has spies in Mittelos and in the Widmore Corporation, which is how he found you. It's also given him an idea of how to find the island and sooner or later he'll realize that he already has half of the equation in his possession," Eloise told them. "He has Ji Yeon."

"Aaron is the other half?" Kate voices trembled as she stood up. "Aaron's in danger and you're going on about frequencies and-"

"Kate, Aaron is fine," Richard said, going over to her and resting a hand on her arm. "I have people – people that I know I can trust completely – watching Claire and Aaron. Please believe me, they are perfectly safe."

"And I have people watching them as well," Eloise told her. "They are safe. I would never let anything happen to Aaron. I would think you would at least respect me enough as a mother to believe that."

"You sent your son back to the island knowing that you would kill him. Why should I believe you give a damn about Aaron?"

"My son had a part to play and there was nothing I could to change that."

"How do you know that?"

"Life is a series of circles, dear. Every event in your life until the moment you left the island the last time was already determined because you, yourself, set the chain of events in motion when you decided to return to the island on the Ajira flight."

"So now what? Are we still living some circle?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Which isn't to say that you aren't, but I'm no more aware of it then you were. I only knew what was in Daniel's journal when he died. I knew that all of you would decide to return to the island in 2007 because he noted that you had returned to the island. He made notes about a lot of things." Eloise stopped talking and just stared blindly at her own hands for a moment.

"I'm sorry." Kate reached out and put her hand over Eloise's. "I had no right to say what I did, and I can't imagine the pain that you've felt all these years. If you say that Aaron is safe, I believe you."

"Thank you dear." Eloise smiled, then patted Kate's arm and turned away.

"That still leaves us with the question of what the hell we're supposed to do?" Sawyer asked, clearly getting irritated.

"The other pockets of light around the world that are connected to the island all need guardians. That's kind of what I need you guys for. To watch over the other lights." He turned to Kate before she could object. "There's one in Australia, not far from where you and Claire and Aaron live. It's not like you need to stand guard 24 hours a day. Just be close enough that you can tell if something's wrong."

"Let me get this straight. You want us all to move to be close to some pocket of energy so we know if something's wrong with it? How would we know if something's wrong with it?" Frank asked, finally speaking.

"That's why I kinda need you all to come back to the island with me. See, all those pockets are connected to the one on the island, and all of you have enough connection to the island that if you just come back and drink some of the water from the pool, you'll be able to sense if there's a change in the frequency."

"And what if we don't want to do this?"

Hurley looked down at the floor for a moment, then back up before answering Sawyer. "It's your choice, dude. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but...I really hope you will do it. If not, you already got a taste of what will happen when the island started to sink."

"Damn it, Hugo, after all that we went through to get off that island..."

"Like I said, it's your choice. At least come back with me for dinner. One last roast boar, for old time's sake?"

"I'm in," Miles said, standing up.

"Yeah, me too." Frank stood up and stood next to Miles. "I've certainly got nothing to lose."

"All right, I'll come back and have one last dinner on the island." Sawyer turned to Kate. "What about you, Freckles?"

"We can leave at any time?"

"Yep. You can leave and come back here anytime you want, I promise."

"I don't know...I promised Claire-"

"It's ok, Kate. I understand. Eloise can have her driver take you to a safe place until you can catch a flight back to Australia but I really think you'd be safer coming back to the island. Just for a little while."

She turned to Eloise. "You'll make sure Claire and Aaron will be safe?"

"I will."

"You know, what I don't get is, if you were helping Ben get Jack and Company back to the island, why not just have them use the doorway here? Why crash a plane and kill innocent people?" Miles asked.

"Jacob said that the Ajira plane was the only way it would work to get Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid back to 1977."

"That's not how I'm going to do things, guys. I'm not willing to kill innocent people. I hope you all know that."

"I never thought for a second that you would hurt anybody, Hugo." Sawyer came closer and rested a hand on Hurley's shoulder. "What do you say we get going?"

"Everybody ready?"

Kate nodded. "The sooner we get back there, the sooner we can leave, right? I'm ready."

"Come on then." Hurley went over to the wall and pulled back a drape to reveal a wooden door.

"That's it?" Richard laughed a bit. "Plain old wooden door, huh?"

"Yeah, plain old wooden door. You know, hiding in plain sight and all that," Hurley said as he opened it. "Everybody hold hands, like when you were in kindergarten. Just as a precaution."

"You have got to be kidding me," Sawyer said.

"Look, we're all grown ups here, there's no chance of catching cooties so just everybody hold hands."

Kate couldn't help but smile at Hurley's words. "He's right, you know. Come on, let's all hold hands." She grabbed Sawyer's hand with her right and Hurley's with her left. "All right, children, do as Hurley said and get going."

There was a bit more grumbling but once they had formed a line and everyone was holding onto someone else, Hurley walked through the door and the rest of them followed, exiting in a stone cave lit by torches. The sound of running water could be heard nearby.

"Where are we?" Frank asked as they all looked around, their eyes adjusting to the dark.

"The tunnels," Richard answered.

"Yeah, this will lead us to the statue." Grabbing one of the torches, Hurley led them to some stone steps that took them up inside the foot of the statue where they squinted as sunlight shone through the open roof. "Hey, Ben, you here?" There was no answer and Hurley sighed. "You guys can stay here if you want, I'm going to find Ben and see about fixing us all dinner."

Richard had walked over to the tapestry and was running his fingers over the finished cloth, so Miles joined him.

"You've never been in here before, have you?"

"I've been in here, it's just...different with Jacob gone."

"I guess it would be strange, coming back here now. You know if you want to talk or...hell, I don't know...just, tell me if there's anything I can do."

"I will." He managed a slight smile. "And thanks. I appreciate it."

"Any time. That's what friends do, right?"

"I'm going outside, get some fresh air," Frank announced, heading for the opening Hurley had gone out.

"Me too," Sawyer said. He went out with Kate behind him.

Richard turned to Miles who was still standing beside him. "I'm going out there too; there's nothing in here that I need to see and I would like to see Ben again."

"Come on then, let's get some fresh air and see what trouble Ben managed to get himself into while Hurley was gone."

"What makes you think Ben did anything?"

"Are you kidding? He's Ben; it's sort of a given that he did _something_."

Richard just chuckled and followed Miles outside. Hearing the ocean waves, feeling the sand and the salt spray, he closed his eyes and smiled. It felt like home, but it also felt like something was off. "Hugo? Ben?" He looked around and started yelling louder. "Hugo! Ben!"

"There was no sign of either of them when I got out here," Frank said. "I figured Hurley went off to get Ben. Let's not assume the worse."

"Something ain't right," Sawyer said, turning to Kate. "Freckles, you go back inside the statue and wait there." He looked around at the rest of them. "You should all go wait in the statue."

"What about you?" Kate asked.

"I left Hugo behind once, I ain't doing it again. Most likely he and Ben are wandering the jungle trying to catch a damn boar but I have to be sure. I'll be back." He looked at Richard. "You in?"

Richard nodded. "Yes, I want to find them too. The rest of you should go back inside. If we're not back in half an hour, go back through the doorway to Eloise."

Frank nodded and began guiding Kate back towards the statue. "I'll be sure Kate gets back."

"I'll search too."

"Miles, we don't-"

"Hey, three pairs of eyes can see more than two pairs, right?"

"Yes, but if we get killed we need you to find us and tell Frank and Kate what our last thoughts were so they know what happened. You can't do that if you come with us and get killed yourself."

Miles cringed at Richard's words. "Ok, that is just...morbid."

"Get back to the statue, Enos. Ain't nobody going to die out here."

Miles knew he wasn't going to win the argument so he sighed. "Fine, I'll go wait in the statue but if you aren't back in half an hour I'm coming looking for you."

"Fair enough," Sawyer told him. After Miles disappeared into the statue, he turned back to Richard. "Any idea where to start looking?"

"The footprints head towards the jungle here," Richard pointed, "and we used to have good luck hunting boar in this area so it's likely Ben went there if he was trying to catch one for dinner."

"It's a starting point at least." Sawyer took his handgun out of his belt and checked it, then put it back. "Let's just hope we don't need that."

The two men headed off into the jungle, looking and listening for any trace of Hurley and Ben.


	8. Chapter 8

"I should have listened to Kate," Sawyer said as he and Richard made their way into the jungle.

"About not coming back to the island?"

"We haven't even been back ten minutes and already I'm heading into the jungle with a gun."

Richard laughed softly. "Just like we never left."

"We're probably worried for nothing. I'm sure they're fine."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Sawyer glanced over. "I guess there's a first time for everything."

"I'm sorry?"

"Going into the jungle and discovering that there's nothing to worry about."

"You're right, that would be a first."

"At least we don't have to worry about old Smokey."

"No; no, I suppose that's one thing we don't need to worry about."

"So what are you worried about?"

"Hmm?"

Sawyer stopped walking and Richard did the same. "You're worried about something, and it's not the smoke monster so what is it?"

"I don't know. I just...I can't explain it, but the monster wasn't the only thing to be worried about on this island."

"But all the other things you had to be worried about are gone now, right?"

He gave Sawyer a tight smile. "You're right. There's no threat left on the island but there's still the chance of them getting injured, or of us getting injured for that matter, so we should still be careful."

"Right."

They walked on for a way before the sound of something moving through the jungle towards them made both men freeze.

"You think there's still polar bears on this island?"

"I...I doubt it, James. Come on, let's get in the trees." He grabbed Sawyer's arm and drug him into a grove of bamboo trees, hoping that whatever it was would go right past them without noticing.

Richard closed his eyes; whatever it was, if he was going to die he didn't really want to see it coming. As the rustling and stomping got closer, he realized there was also the sound of someone breathing heavy. Cautiously he opened his eyes just as Sawyer walked into the clearing.

"Hugo?"

"Can you see him?"

"No, but I'm sure it's him that we heard. Hugo!"

"Over here, dude," came Hurley's familiar voice.

They found him in a matter of seconds. "Hugo, what were you doing out here? And where's Ben?"

"I was looking for Ben, and I found him but..." He paused to try and catch his breath, then continued speaking. "He was checking the trap for boars and he kinda...umm...got himself caught in the trap instead."

"Of course he did." Sawyer smirked and shook his head. "Point the way and we'll go rescue him."

"Is he ok?" Richard asked.

"I'm not really sure. He says he is but I couldn't see him and it's a pretty deep hole."

"Hole?"

"Yeah, we covered up a pit with leaves and stuff so when the boar ran over it, it would drop in. Only Ben must have walked over it for some reason and-"

"Let's just get to him and see how he is," Richard said.

"Come on, I'll take you to him."

It took them fifteen minutes to get to where the trap was. "Ben, are you hurt?"

"Richard?"

"Yes, it's Richard. Are you okay?"

There was a long pause before Ben's voice replied. "Just get me out of here. Please."

"Don't worry Ben, we'll get you out."

"James?"

"Yeah, it's me. Just...just hang in there, ok? I'm going to find some vines long enough for us to reach you."

"You're not going to use them to hang me, are you?"

Sawyer shook his head and chuckled. "Nope. I'm gonna use you as bait so we can catch a boar for dinner." He turned to Richard and spoke low so his voice wouldn't carry. "I'm going to get some vines, you talk to him and try to find out if he's hurt or not."

"All right. Thank you."

"I may be the biggest asshole on this island, but he's scared and I ain't gonna make matters worse by giving him a hard time about it. Not until after we haul him out of there, anyway."

Richard nodded and when Sawyer moved past him, he knelt down at the edge of the pit. "Ben, I need to know how you're doing. Are you in any pain?" When there was no answer he got worried. "Ben?"

"So you really came back. I admit, I didn't think Hugo would be successful."

"We can talk about that later. Now are you hurt?"

"I can't feel my leg. I think it's broken."

He looked to Hurley. "He's not going to be able to climb up so when Sawyer gets back, I'm going down there. You and Sawyer should be able to pull Ben up."

The sound of squealing and hoofs made them both look back in the direction of the noise. "No, please..." Hurley said.

"What's going on up there?" Ben's worried voice came out of the pit.

Richard leaned back over the edge of the pit. "We're going to get you out of there and everything will be fine. Just...try not to worry, all right?"

"Easy for you to say," came the grumbled response.

The boar – or whatever it was – seemed to move away from them."I'm gonna see if Sawyer needs any help." Hurley took off, stopped to pat Richard on the back before continuing on in the direction Sawyer had gone.

"So you want to tell me what happened?"

"If you mean how did I end up down here, I would think that's fairly obvious. I wasn't paying attention, forgot where I was and stepped in my own trap."

"I've known you for over 30 years, Ben." Silence. So Richard tried again. "I thought we were friends."

After a few moments Ben replied. "I thought we were too."

The awkward silence was broken a minute later by Hurley and Sawyer returning. "These vines should be long enough; me and Hugo are gonna braid them together so it will be strong enough. We'll be over there where we can sit and work. Shouldn't take us long." He gestured to an area where he and Hurley could sit on some large logs. It would also be far enough away to allow Ben and Richard to continue talking in private.

"What's going on?"

"James and Hugo went to braid the vines together."

"Oh." The silence wasn't quite so awkward this time. "I'm very sorry Richard."

"Oh?" The statement caught him by surprise and he wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"You confided in me that you thought Locke was going to be a problem...and I should have told you what had happened before we joined up with you at the camp. I should have told you when Locke said that he was going to kill Jacob."

"So what did happen Ben? You never did tell me why you went along with everything he said."

"I..went back to the temple to be judged."

Richard frowned, confused. "You went to the temple? But-"

"There are a lot of things that I never told you over the years, Richard. Things which, in hindsight, I should have told you about but...I guess I never quite learned to trust anyone, including you."

* * *

"Thanks," Hurley said as he sat down on a lot opposite Sawyer and braided the vines while Sawyer held them.

"Thanks for what?"

"You know, coming to find us and being nice to Ben and all."

Sawyer made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Ain't much fun to be mean to Yoda when he's down in a damn hole and I can't see him, now is it?"

"Whatever dude. I know you have feelings for Ben."

"Excuse me?" Sawyer raised an eyebrow and glared at Hurley.

"You carried Ben to the Others so Richard would take him and heal him. If you were the heartless bastard you still at times pretend to be, you would have let him die." Hurley closed one eye as though there was a glare from something. "It's ok, I won't tell anyone else."

"Gee, thanks."

They finished braiding the vine and Hurley pointed to a large tree not far from the hole Ben was in. "We should tie one end around that so we don't have to worry about the rope slipping."

Sawyer stood up and went over to it with Hurley. "You're right, I think this should work."

Richard turned away from the hole at the sound of Sawyer's voice and saw that he and Hurley were tying one end of their vine rope around a nearby tree.

"So do you think it's going to work?" came a voice from inside the hole.

"It's going to work, Ben, and we'll have you out of there in no time."

"And then what?"

"Then I'll see what your injuries are and we can go from there."

"That's not what I meant, Richard. Where do things stand between you and I?"

He smiled. "We are friends, Ben. We are going to sit and talk about everything – and I do mean everything – but I promise you, we are still friends."

"Thank you, that does mean a lot."

"You ready?" Sawyer asked, bringing one end of the rope over to Richard.

"Yeah, I'm ready." He tied it around his waist with Sawyer's help, and then Sawyer and Hurley slowly lowered Richard down into the hole.

It was a relief when he finally felt solid ground beneath his feet, and he quickly undid the rope and squinted in the dark to see Ben. "Damn."

"I look that bad?"

"I don't know, I can't see much of anything." He carefully lowered himself so he was kneeling beside Ben's prone form.

"I'm glad it was you that came down."

Richard smiled though he was sure Ben wouldn't be able to see it. "Which leg can't you feel?"

"My right one."

Luckily, that was the leg closest to Richard and he began running his hands down the limb, feeling for any indication that it was broken. The sound of Ben's sharp intake of breath, followed by a barely audible whimper when he got to just below the knee, told him that he had found the injury. "Sorry. I'm going to need something to splint that leg before we try to get you out of here." He squeezed Ben's shoulder before standing up and calling to the men still up above. "I need some strong branches about three feet long and some more vines so I can splint his leg."

"All right, we'll see what we can find," Sawyer called back. "I don't suppose you've got a first aid kit back in that foot?" he asked Hurley.

"Yeah, sure. If you go back to the foot and continue down the beach there's a hospital. Let me just call for an ambulance."

"Someone's become Mr. Sarcastic."

"Must be Ben rubbing off on me." Hurley rubbed his eyes for a second. "There might be some supplies back in the barracks but that's kinda far. Let's just look for some branches that will work."

* * *

"You're sure nothing else is bothering you but that leg?" Richard asked, turning his attention back to Ben as he knelt down again.

"Yes, Richard, I'm sure."

His eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness and he could see Ben a little better. "If you want to talk, Ben...about anything...I'll listen."

"You could have just tied the rope around me and had them haul me up, you know."

"The jostling just would have made the break worse. At least for now the bone hasn't come through the skin."

"So what did you want to talk about? That is why you sent Hugo and James off to find branches and more vines, isn't it?"

"You said you went to the temple to be judged. Why don't you start there?"

"I should probably start a bit further back, with when I went to my house in the village to summon the monster."

Richard was stunned by that statement. "You...how could you summon the monster? **Why** would you want to summon the monster?"

"I...didn't realize what it was. It's not like it ever attacked us. Before, I mean. It only went after Dharma. You certainly never mentioned it."

Richard sighed. That much was true, he had to admit. "That was just how it was with Jacob. No interference. I had to let all of you make your own choices."

"What did you know about the monster?"

"I knew from the first time I met you, when you said that you had seen your dead mother in the jungle and she spoke to you, that the monster would try to persuade you somehow. He did the same thing to me."

"Oh?"

"When I first arrived on this island he appeared to me as my dead wife."

"So that's why you said we were all dead and in hell?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"So how long do you think it will take them to get back?"

"I guess that depends on how far they have to go to find branches."

"I'm sorry you're stuck here with me."

"I'm not. Maybe this is the island's way of making us talk. And there are a lot of things that we should talk about, Ben."

"If that's what this is, then the island has a sick sense of humor."

Richard chuckled at that. "I suppose it does."

* * *

"I don't like this," Miles said, walking over to the door of the statue. "It's been too long. I'm going after them."

"You don't even know where they are," Kate protested.

"I know the general direction they were heading in." Turning to Frank, he said, "Get her back to the church."

"Now wait a-"

"Kate, you said yourself that you promised Claire. You and Frank get back to the church so you can go home to Aaron."

"I..."

"Just go, ok? Frank promised he would see that you got home and I promised Sawyer so unless you want him to kill us both you need to go."

Finally Kate nodded. "Just...please be careful, and find Sawyer."

"I will, but not until you and Frank head back to the church."

"We're going," Frank said, grabbing a torch. "Come on, Kate. Let's get you out of here."

"You're coming back, aren't you?" Kate asked as they began their descent down the steps and into the tunnel.

"You better believe I am. Once you are safe and sound in that church, I'm coming back here and getting all of them back home."

"Thank you."

He paused to look back at her and smile. "You're welcome."

They walked on for a while, listening to the sound of running water and the echo of their own footsteps. "Shouldn't the door be around here somewhere?"

"It has to be up ahead. I don't see how we could have missed it."

* * *

The sun seemed to have sunk lower than it was when Miles had gone into the statue. _Maybe more time has gone by than I think._ He headed in the direction he though Richard and Sawyer had gone in, debating whether he should start yelling for them or remain quiet.

"This is ridiculous," he said aloud as he walked towards the jungle. "There's nothing to be worried about here if the monster is dead. And now I'm having conversations with myself." He laughed aloud. "And they all said Hurley was nuts."

As he went further into the jungle the sunlight faded, filtered by the trees. "Hurley? James?" he called as he carefully stepped over a gnarled tree root. "Richard?" A rustling sound made him turn quickly and he saw someone stepping towards him.

"Hello Miles."

The sight of red hair and fair skin sent his legs into motion, instinctively going in reverse until he tripped on a vine and fell over, sprawled on his back.


	9. Chapter 9

It took a few seconds for Miles to regain his bearings enough to sit up and look around. A few yards ahead of him, the redhead was standing with her back to him. "Charlotte?" he called out. Getting no response he stood up and slowly walked to her, reaching out a trembling hand to touch her.

The instant his fingers made contact with her arm, she turned her head and smiled at him and then began walking away.

"Wait, Charlotte..." He started after her but then stopped. _Charlotte is dead. She died when we were moving through time. But..when in time were we when she died? Is it possible...?_

"I think this branch will be good."

The sound of Hurley's voice drifted through the jungle and Miles felt a wave of relief come over him. "Jim, Hugo, where are you guys?"

"Over here," Sawyer called. "You out here by yourself?"

"Yeah." Miles walked in their direction and met up with them quickly. "Hey, you guys seen anybody else out here?"

"Who else would be out here?" Hurley asked. "I mean, I guess Rose and Bernard could be but I haven't seen them this far from their cabin."

Sawyer tilted his head to look Miles over. "Something happen?"

For just a second, Miles considered telling them what had happened but just as quickly decided against it. "Nah, it was just...you know how sound travels out here. So did you find Ben or lose Richard?"

Hurley chuckled. "We found Ben and Richard stayed with him. He has a broken leg so we're looking for branches that can be used to splint it."

"Where's Kate and Frank?"

"I told them to head back to the church because I...I just had a bad feeling. Obviously I was wrong about it but better safe than sorry, right?"

"Oh no..." Hurley said. He dropped the branch he had been carrying and began walking quickly in the direction of the foot. "We gotta find them before they get too deep!" he yelled without pausing or looking back.

"Too deep in what?" Sawyer asked. He, too, abandoned his task and took off after Hurley.

"So much for you can leave at anytime." Miles shook his head and decided that he should go after Sawyer and Hurley; he really wasn't too keen on spending any time alone in the jungle.

* * *

"You still haven't answered my question, Ben. What happened before you fell down here?"

Ben tried to sit up and then groaned. "I can feel my leg again. That's a good sign, right?"

"Yes, it's a good sign. Now tell me what happened?"

This time there was a heavy sigh. "I came out here to check the traps, got disoriented and walked in the wrong direction."

"I don't believe that for a second. You could roam this island in pitch darkness while blindfolded." Richard wished there was enough light to see Ben's face and gauge his reaction. "What spooked you enough that you ran into your own trap?"

"I...I didn't want to be there when Hugo returned, just in case he did manage to convince anyone to come back. I didn't want to face them. So instead I came out into the jungle figuring that if I returned with a boar then the task of cooking and cleaning it would give me something to do so everyone would leave me alone." There was a pause as Ben took a deep breath. "I saw Alex."

"Ben, Alex is dead. I buried her myself. It was just your mind-"

"I know what I saw and it was not the product of my imagination. She was standing with her back to me and then she turned around and looked at me, and she smiled and took a step towards me and I...I started running away from her and then I was down here." He wiped at his eyes before continuing. "You and I both know that dead is dead but..."

"Once we get you out of here, you need to tell Hurley."

"It isn't the first time I've seen her since she died. When I went to be judged, I...I saw her. I know now that it was the monster pretending to be her but...it hurt so much when she said that it was all my fault because I knew that she was right."

He heard Ben crying and wished he knew what to say while waiting for Ben to collect himself.

"Thank you for burying her. I didn't think you would just leave her there but not knowing for certain was hell."

"Maybe we can plant some flowers or...I don't know, make a marker of some kind."

"That would mean a lot to me." He looked up at the opening of the pit and frowned. "How long do you think it will take them?"

"I don't know. I would think there are plenty of branches around but they may have gone to get something to cut them with."

"That's true. So tell me, what have you been up to since you escaped?"

"Hmm? Oh, just...adjusting. Taking care of things with Mittelos and trying to help get everyone settled into their new lives."

"Things went smoothly?"

"Yeah, for the most part, at least until I got the bright idea to come to Los Angeles and talk to Eloise."

"What happened?"

"Eloise said that Sun's father, Mr. Paik, is after us because he thinks we can lead him to his daughter."

"He didn't manage to hurt anyone, did he?"

"No, Eloise got us to the church and then Hugo got us here."

* * *

"What did you mean about finding them before they got too deep?" Sawyer asked when he caught up to Hurley.

"I assume they'll have gone back down to the tunnel trying to find the door."

"Yeah, so?"

Hurley stopped and grabbed Sawyer's arm, forcing the other man to stop and look at him. "It's hard to explain, but there are multiple doors off the island. Some are two-way, like the one at the Lamp Post, and some are one-way, like the one Desmond came out in the monastery. The thing is, since I'm the guardian I can control the doorways on the island but if Kate and Frank manage to find it and they open that door, there's no telling where or even when they'll end up."

"You mean they could go through time?"

"That's sort of what the lighthouse was for before Jack broke the mirrors. It's how Jacob was able to visit everyone at different times in their lives."

"Why didn't you say something about that sooner?"

"Look, I didn't know Frank and Kate were going to try leaving all right? Let's just get back to there. Most likely they won't find the door at all. The island's good at hiding things."

"I hope you're right."

"So what are we going to do if they're gone?" Miles finally asked, having hung back while Sawyer and Hurley talked.

Hurley looked down at the ground. "I don't know."

* * *

"Can you see anything that looks like a door?" Frank asked. He was searching one side of the tunnel while Kate searched the other. Both of them were running there hands along the stone, hoping to feel the door in case their eyes missed it.

"No, nothing but solid rock."

"There's a fork up ahead but I don't remember us turning, do you?"

"No, I thought we went in a straight line from the door to the foot. I don't understand how we can't find the door now."

"Maybe we should go back up and wait for everybody to get back."

"Or we could split up, you go right and I'll go left at the fork, and see what we find."

"We only have the one torch and I don't know about you, but I can't see so well in the dark. Besides, I don't think splitting up is such a good idea. It certainly never worked out well before on this island."

Kate sighed. "You're right. We should stick together. Let's head back since there's nothing we can do down here."

Footsteps echoed and both of them turned back to where the tunnel forked. "Hello?" Frank asked. "Somebody down here?" The footsteps came closer and he pushed Kate behind him. "You stay back there," he told her.

"Kate," a familiar voice called. "Kate, is that you?"

"Jack?" Kate pushed Frank out of her way "Jack!" She made her way to where the tunnels forked and looked in both directions but she couldn't see anything. "JACK!"

Frank came after her and put his hand on her back. "Kate, you heard what Hurley said. Jack is gone, and whatever is down here...it ain't him. Now come on, let's get out of here and just wait for the others."

Kate took one last long look at the tunnel before nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah, I know. I just..."

"We'll talk to Hurley, find out what's going on."

"And what makes you so sure Hurley knows?" Kate asked before passing Frank to head back to the statue.

* * *

"They're not coming back are they?"

Richard looked up towards the opening and shook his head though Ben couldn't possibly see the gesture. "No, it's dark up there so I don't think they're coming back tonight."

"Well this is a fine way to welcome you home, although I suppose you'd be nervous if something bad wasn't happening here."

He chuckled at that though he knew that Ben was right; he always expected that something bad would happen and the island had rarely disappointed him. "So what do you want to do until they come back?"

"Our options are rather limited, in case you hadn't noticed." The statement was followed by a sigh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. Why don't you tell me about your life off the island? Hurley mentioned that you had bought a house."

"It's just an old farm house that I've been fixing up. You should come visit some time. If you can."

"I think I would like that very much. Thank you." There was a pause and a light rustling sound as Ben moved a bit. "I'd like nothing more than to leave this island the instant we get out of this hole."

"I thought you loved this island and never wanted to leave it?"

"That was before...before everything. And now I'm seeing Alex again and..." Ben gave a bitter laugh. "I may have loved this island but I'm beginning to see that the island does not care at all for me so why should I stay here?"

"What about Hugo?"

"Hugo would be all right for a while, especially if some of his friends are here. I wouldn't just take off and leave him here alone; that's why I stayed here and let him meet you all."

"Has something else happened?"

"Let's just say Hugo's _gift_ of communicating with the dead didn't disappear when he took over as the island's protector."

"So he's seen more ghosts?"

"Yes, he has, and some of them were not too friendly."

"Is that the real reason why he needed us to come back here?"

"What reason did he give you?"

"That Paik Industries is after the island as an energy source."

"That is true enough."

"But?"

"Hugo is a people person and I'm a control freak. Clearly being on this island is not the ideal situation for either of us."

"I guess that makes sense, but I know how much you love this island. Kate said you were willing to die with the island rather than getting off with the rest of us."

"That was before I realized that the island had it in for me."

"I don't think the island has it in for you."

"Then how do you explain this, Richard?"

"You got spooked and walked over the trap. The island didn't do this to you; your trap worked the way it was supposed to."

"And why did I see Alex if not because the island is taunting me?" Ben's voice sounded strained and Richard was sure he was fighting hard not to cry at the thought of his dead daughter being used, once again, to hurt him.

"Maybe it wasn't the island that did it."

"Maybe it was a hallucination? That's not exactly better."

"I'm just saying that maybe your mind was showing you the one person you would give anything to see again."

There was silence for a while, then a soft "You're right about that."

Richard leaned back against the wall of dirt and looked once more to the top though he could see nothing but the darkness from the thick jungle canopy. He had a feeling it was going to be a very long night.

* * *

"Kate? Frank? Uh, guys?"

"I'm going down there after them," Sawyer said, rushing forward until Hurley grabbed his arm.

"Dude, we'll all go down there, all right?"

He looked away for a moment, then looked Hurley in the eye. "Fine, we all go down there together."

"Come on, let's go find them." Hurley led the way down to where they believed Kate and Frank had gone but Miles hung back.

"Listen, it doesn't take three of us to go down there and...well what about Ben and Richard?"

"It's too dark now to get back to them anyway," Sawyer said. "They should be fine where they are and in the morning we'll head back."

"I don't know, Ben's been acting kind of...strange. Maybe someone should go back there."

"Great, I'll grab a torch and go back and see you guys tomorrow."

"What's the rush? They ain't going nowhere."

"I can't explain it but I just...I need to get back there. I'll see you guys in the morning. Go find Kate and Frank." Without waiting for a response, Miles took off after grabbing a torch and lighting it.

"Damnit Hugo, now he's gonna be lost in the jungle too."

"No he's not. You need to chill and help me find Kate and Frank."

Sawyer shook his head, looking confused as Hurley grabbed a torch and headed into the tunnel.

* * *

A familiar sound that could best be described as a howling caught Richard's ear and he held his breath. It repeated, followed by what sounded like metal chains being drug. "Ben, you awake?"

"Of course I'm awake. You heard it too, didn't you?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"What do you think it is?"

"This isn't the time to play games, Ben!"

"Who says I'm playing? I just asked you what you think it is because I have no idea what it is. The monster is dead, I saw that myself."

They heard the howling sound again, closer. "What if you were wrong?"

"Kate shot him and Jack kicked him off a cliff. He was dead."

"The first time I met him, he told me that he had a body once but that Jacob stole it, and he looked nothing like Locke. The body may have died but it sounds like the monster is very much alive."

"Then let's hope it can't go down holes."

* * *

Miles heard the sound in the distance and momentarily considered returning to the foot. Shaking his head, he continued on. _After everything Richard did to help us get off the island, I owe him. _

He tried to follow the path that they had taken to get from the hole to the foot and soon he saw what appeared to be a large hole in the ground. "Richard? You down there?"

"Miles?" Richard looked up at the opening and saw only the glow from the torch.

"Yeah, it's me." Miles reached the edge of the pit and knelt down. "How are things down there?"

"Just peachy. How are things up there?" Ben called.

"Asshole," he said under his breath. "Hurley and Sawyer said they'll be here in the morning to get you out," he yelled down. Then he thought of something and felt bad that he hadn't thought of it sooner. "I have a canteen of water; let me toss it down to you. I'm sure both of you are thirsty."

"That would be much appreciated," Richard yelled back.

"I'll drop it close to the wall so hopefully it won't hit either of you in the head."

"I'm sure I can guess who's head he'd prefer to bounce that canteen off of," Ben grumbled.

"No one is bouncing canteens off of anyone's head, all right?" Richard heard a thud and felt his way over to the other wall where he found the canteen.

"I'd offer to drop the torch down there but I'm fairly certain that would end badly."

At that Richard smiled. "I'm pretty sure it would too."

"I'm going to stay up here so nothing else falls down in that hole."

"Thank you Miles," Ben said. "I know you probably came back out of concern for Richard but nevertheless, I do appreciate it."

The howling and metallic ticking sounded so close that Miles seriously considered jumping into the hole with Ben and Richard. "Ok, what the hell is that? I thought the monster was dead?"

"We don't know what it is. Can you see anything?" Richard asked.

"No, it's too dark to see anything." Miles stood up and looked all around but couldn't see a thing beyond the glow of his torch. He could hear what he thought was something large rustling through the trees though. The rustling was moving away and soon the jungle was quiet again. "I guess it's gone."

"Hugo and I haven't seen any sign of the monster before today so I honestly don't know if that is the monster or not."

"You two just get some rest," Miles yelled down. Then, to himself he added, "Because I know I won't be."

* * *

"Hey, isn't this the door we've been looking for?" Kate asked, causing Frank to turn around and come closer with the torch.

"It must be. How the hell did we miss this before?"

"I don't know." Kate's hand reached for the doorknob and she turned it, opening the door to reveal a glowing white light too bright to see beyond..


End file.
